The purpose of this study was to determine the
effects of a six-week career planning dropout prevention
program on the self-concepts and academic achievement of
at-risk middle school students in an inner-city public
school environment. The research population consisted of
1,434 students (grades seven, eight and nine) attending an
inner city public junior high school in south-central Los
Angeles, California. The selection of the research site
and sample was based on the assumption that the student
population met the criteria and demographic profile of
at-risk students: Students are from low-income and/or
single parent families; have low achievement scores in
reading and mathematics; exhibit a high incidence of
truancy, absenteeism and teenage pregnancy; have low
career aspirations and plans; and exhibit other related
characteristics of at-risk students.
The study was conducted from September, 1993 to
January, 1994 (fall semester, 1993). All students were
selected by random procedure from grades seven, eight and
nine. The experimental group consisted of 195 students
enrolled in a woodworking class. The control group
consisted of 1,239 students who were not enrolled in a
woodworking class but were enrolled in other elective
classes.
The experimental treatment consisted of a six week
career planning dropout prevention program. The career
planning dropout prevention program was infused into the
20-week woodworking class during the 6th through 12th
week, and consisted of seven interrelated topics and
lesson plans. The objectives of the study were to
research and explore career interests and options, and to
construct personal career planning portfolios for students
in the experimental group.
It was concluded that: a) There were no significant
differences between pre and post measures of self-concept
in the experimental group, b) There was no significant
difference in the pre and post academic achievement scores
between the control and experimental groups, c) There was
a substantial increase int he academic achievement scores
of the experimental group, but this increase did not equal
or exceed the alpha value. / Graduation date: 1997
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34324 |
| Date | 08 August 1996 |
| Creators | Casey, Michael Winfield |
| Contributors | Ahrendt, Kenneth M. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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